Trail des Pyramides Noires 2023 Review

On 27th May, I participated for the first time in the Trail des Pyramides Noires 2023 trail running event in Oignies, Pas-de-Calais, in Northern France. I ran the 22 kilometres “discovery” trail running category, with other categories being a 22kms Nordic walking taking the same route as my category, 35kms trail run, 50kms trail run, and an advanced 110kms running route.

Here’s my review of this event and my opinion on whether you should register for it next year.

Retraite de dossards: Race bib collection

Instructions on how to collect the race bibs were clearly indicated on the website. The organizer also sent email reminders, as well as social media posts to remind everyone. The bibs could also be collected on race day, prior to the departure time.

In my case, I collected my race bib a day before the race day by going to the Le 9-9bis, a former coal mine extraction plant in Oignies. I did this on purpose to be familiar of the public transport options going to the race venue.

From Lille’s Lille-Flandres, I took a TER regional train to Libercourt train station, approximately a quick, 15-minute journey. Upon arriving, I hopped on a local bus line #7 to reach the Le 9-9bis. The buses on this route leaves every 30 minutes. This was important information to keep on mind, especially for planning my itinerary on race day.

Collecting the race bib was quick. The collection area was easy to find. After showing the QR code for collection, they handed me my race bib and that’s it. No t-shirts given on that day.

Afterwards, I returned to Lille and spent a relaxed afternoon in preparation for what’s to come.

Here we go! My bib for the 22kms Trail des Pyramides Noires (Black Pyramids Trail).

The Race Experience

I was very ecstatic to know that the weather on race day was clear and sunny, as this made planning much easier and the likelihood of having a fun race higher.

Taking the same route as the day prior, I left Lille-Flandres at 7:47am and arrived at around 8am at Libercourt. From there, I had to wait 20 minutes to catch the bus which left the train station at 7:27am.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a huge crowd waiting for the start of the trail running race.

The 22kms trail running category was open to all kinds of runners and there was no time barrier to complete it, which is great. This meant that everyone has the option to go slow and enjoy the trail if they don’t wish to be competitive.

Participants of the 22kms running category at the Trail des Pyramides Noires 2023 gathering at Le 9-9bis in Oignies, Pas-de-Calais, France.

Runners of the 22kms trail category about to kick off the running race.

Thanks to the great weather, I wore light clothes for running. My battle gear: a water vest with 1 liter of water, two energy bars, one running gel, a red sweat headband, and my new Salomon Sense Ride 4.

I used my Amazfit T-Rex Pro watch for this trail running event. I loved its route/navigation features which helped a lot in making sure that I am on track of the running route.

The 22kms trail running event flagged off on time at 9am. Over 400 trail runners shuffled into a forest near the Le 9-9bis.

The first half of the course was generally flat and nicely covered with shades of trees. This was helpful as the sunshine became increasingly strong over the course of the race.

We also mostly ran on dirt roads and trails. The only times we ran on pavements was to traverse between parks.

I absolutely loved the part when we ran along a river. It was scenic and made me appreciate more of the region. What’s more: this section was followed by a run in a forest with a few ponds. In one part, there were a group of musicians performing to delight and excite the trail runners.

Eventually, I reached the first aid station of the race which occurred around KMs 9-10 according to my watch. The provisions were generous and there were many (yummy) food and drink options.

The first aid station (“ravito”) of the race occurred at around KM9-KM10. Plenty of food and drinks for everyone. No wonder why trail running is often jokingly called an “eating contest.”

Eventually, I reached the first aid station of the race which occurred around KMs 9-10 according to my watch. The provisions were generous and there were many (yummy) food and drink options.

Scenes at the first ravito of the race.

From the aid station, the running route brought me back into a forest. The path here was winding which culminated with a surprise: the first steep slope.

Trail runners formed a single line up on this slope as we all hiked up. It was truly taxing but this was what we signed up for. 😁

I never thought that the slag heap hills could be so steep.

We panted as we hiked up the first steep hill. There were 4 slag heaps to climb in the 22kms trail running race.

Here’s how this moment felt like in a video.

Climbing down the steep hill proved to be more challenging than I expected. Thank goodness, I wore the right Salomon trail running shoes with excellent grip.

After climbing up and down from our first terril/hill, I suddenly found myself in a huge crowd. Everyone stopped running and looked confused.

It turned out that we were all lost and off-track from the race’s running route. This incident possibly highlighted that the race’s signs were neither effective nor conspicuous enough in this area, causing everyone to be off track.

So, at this point, I looked at my watch’s navigation features and confirmed that we really diverted from the course. We had to find our way back to the route so we could continue the race. Some runners were contemplating aborting the race or calling the signalers.

Everyone’s lost in the forest after the first hill. Some runners reportedly encircled the hill up to 3 times only to realize they were running in a loop!

I managed to return on the course with the help of my watch and by cooperating with other trail runners. Suddenly, it felt like I was on a team which was cool.

From here, I continued with the second part of the race. I traversed another forest and two more hills. The paths here were clear and straightforward, but also it was more exposed to the sun and hot.

As the battery of my bluetooth earphones die, I arrived at the foot of the last terril in this race near Le 9-9bis. I was so happy to see this as I could not wait to cross the finish line.

Finally, the last hill to conquer in this race: the Terrils de Oignies.
Behind this hill was the finish line.

Upon reaching the summit, I took some cheeky selfies with a huge grin knowing that the race would be over soon. My cardio felt fine and legs too. I expected more pain but they just felt “normal” tired.

Ecstatic as I conquered the final slag heap. There was a staff helping everyone take a nice pic of themselves at the panoramic summit!

I descended from the last hill smiling while enduring the intense sunshine.

Trail runners heading to summit their final hill at the 22kms Trail des Pyramides Noires event.

When I arrived at the grounds of Le 9-9bis and saw the finish line, my smile went ear-to-ear. I raised both my hands up and accelerated towards the finish line feeling happy and accomplished having done at least 22kms of trails.

22kms of trail in Oignies done and dusted! In reality, I ran more than 23 kilometres.

After crossing the finish line, I received a nice wooden medal, a neon green running t-shirt, a bottle of Ch’ti beer, and food and drinks coupons.

I used the latter to have a well-deserved lunch!

“Free” yummy burger and fries were one of the food options for runners who completed the race.

Runners who completed the race take their much needed rest and lunch!

Delicious beer 🍺 to wash away the pain in the legs from all that adventure and trail running over 4 hills.

Happy and satisfied to have done this trail race.

In conclusion, I was happy with this trail running event overall.

This trail running event was indeed a great way to get to know the treasures of the northern region of France. In particular, to discover the sights of the old mining region which is itself a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Despite the moments of being lost in a forest, I think the organizers did a great job to deliver a great trail running event experience. The weather helped a lot too. The experience would have been very different if we did this race and it was raining. Some slopes would have probably became a bit dangerous.

I will definitely run this event again next year. And maybe, take a notch up and do the 35 kilometres race! 🤩

Thanks for reading and see you in the next event!